A new initiative by Scotland’s Moorland Forum will improve
and provide a wider shared understanding of the relationship between predators
and wading and wild game birds.
Scottish Natural Heritage has commissioned the project
following discussions with the Scottish Government.
In addition to reviewing scientific knowledge, the novel
approach adopted by the project will also allow local knowledge to be
incorporated into the work. Member organisations of the Moorland Forum will be
invited to provide their views at the start of the project in small focus
groups and workshops. At the end of the project, three large seminars, probably
held in October 2015, will allow stakeholders to comment on the draft report
and see how their input helps shape the final report.
People with an interest in the impact of predation on wading
and wild game birds will be encouraged to provide their views and comments
throughout the project. Updates on progress will be provided on a regular basis
– see below for details.
In developing the proposal, it was accepted that predation
is a natural process. Everyone agreed that
this work should aim to help achieve and maintain balanced, healthy populations
of all wild birds in Scotland. The project will establish and agree the facts, and
then consider the effectiveness of existing management options. A report will
be published, at the conclusion of this work in January 2016, and this will
provide an agreed position from which solutions to the issues can be developed.
There are three main elements of the work: local knowledge
will be gathered through the workshops, scientific knowledge of predator-prey
interactions in Scotland will be reviewed, and maintaining good internal and
external communications will be an essential part of the project. Open discussion and exchange of ideas will be
established within the Steering Group, across the Moorland Forum and with all those
that have an interest in predator/prey relations. This collaborative approach
is an important feature of the project.
Understanding Predation will consider predators, not only as
a conservation interest in their own right but will also examine how they
interact with vulnerable or declining prey species. The reported decline of wading birds is a
cause of great concern, and this project will provide a better and shared
understanding of the role that predation has had in this decline. We will investigate the often-controversial
disparity between scientific knowledge and local knowledge arising from the
direct observations of local people on the ground. We recognise that these differences
can lead to conflict, creating a deadlock between theory and practice, which
can seriously hamper constructive progress.
Through discussion, the project will provide a shared
understanding of the issues, and this will form a platform from which to seek
agreement about how we can best move forward for the benefit of all wild bird
species in Scotland. Taking such a novel approach is likely to provide some
challenges, but we believe that the effort is justified by the potential for
the work to provide enormous benefits for nature conservation.
Contacting the
Project
Use the contact form on the website; and
Use the comment facility on the blog posts.
Communication from
the project
Webpage on the Moorland Forum’s website;
This Project Blog;
e-Newsletters (these will have a ‘Sign Up’option on the
bottom);
The Forum’s Twitter account (@moorlandforum) will be used to
draw attention to the publication of new information; and
Printed leaflets and progress reports may be used to supplement
this electronic output.
